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The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described

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The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described PART I GENERALPRINCIPLESCONCERN­ 1NG CEREMONIES c CHAPTER I THE CHURCH AND ITS FURNI­ TURE T is not necessary, in a book ot ceremonies to o-ive a full account of rules for building and furnishind chu~ches. yet, to understand the ceremonies, one must have some idea of the dispositions of the building, and one must I know the names of the vestments, vessels and orna­ ments used. We begin, then, with a summary account ofthese as far as they concern the ceremonies. ' Normally a Catholic church should be consecrated by a bishop, according to the form in the Pontifical. When a church is consecrated, at least one altar must be consecrated with it. The essential condition for consecration is that the building be a permanent church, both in construction and purpose; that is, it must be solidly built and must be intended to be used always as a church. To turn a consecrated church to another use is sacrilege. It follows that consecration is not allowed till the building is free of debt and mortgage. In England many churches are not consecrated, but simply blessed. Canon law makes no provision for temporary churches. A building to be used as a church for a time only should receive the simple" Benedictio loci," as in the case of private oratories. I A church may be blessed at first, then consecrated later, when it is free of debt. It makes no difference to any later ceremony whether the church be consecrated or simply blessed. According to the old principle churches were ORIENTATED, that is, the High Altar was at the East end 2 and the main en­ trance at the West. In describing ceremonies we speak of the Gospel and Epistle sides of the church and altar. The GOSPEL SIDE is where the Gospel is read at Mass; it is the left side as you face the altar j the E PIS TLE SIDE is the right. If the church is orientated properly, the Gospel side will be the North, 3 the Epistle side the South. The plan of a church varies very considerably according to its size, the architect's design, and so on. There is much lati­ tude in planning a church. A large church will probably have a number of side chapels or side altars, which may be placed anywhere, though in this case, too, the normal principle would be that each altar faces the East, so that the priest look that way when saying Mass. There may also be two or more aisles and a transept. 1 S.R.C. 4025, ad VI. Cod., c. 227· 2 It is a very old Christian principle that people turn to the east at prayer; so the priest saying Mass should face the east. 3 In heraldic language the Gospel side is the dexter of the altar, the right of the crucifix as it faces down the church. The Epistle side is sinister. B 2 {Peneral ~rinciples concerning (!eremonies For the purpose of ceremonies we distinguish five parts ot the church. Every church, however small will have these at least as th.eoretic divisions. They are the nave, bapti~t~ry, porch, choIr and sanctuary. The NAVE is that part of the church wh.ere the people attend the services. Generally it is arranged m two groups of seats, one on either side, with a passage down the middle. It is not now usual in Catholic churches to separate men from women. The BAPT~STERYshould be, if possible, a separate chapel, or. at least ral1,ed off from the rest of the church. l It may con­ tam an altar,- as well as a font. The font' should stand in the middle of the baptistery. It is covered when not in use (see p. 394, n. I). Beyond the main entrance to the nave is the N AR THE x, or PORCH (sometimes called vestibulum). This has important liturgical uses, and should never be wanting. At the church doors are holy water stoups. In front of the nave, generally raised by one or more steps, is the CHOIR. This is where the clergy or singers attend in cassock and surplice. It should have seats or stalls on either side, facing each other across the church. In cathedral and collegiate churches the Canons have their stalls arranged in this way. If the Blessed Sacrament is reserved at the High Altar there is generally a COMMUNION RAIL between the nave and the choir. This should be ofa convenient height, so that people can kneel at it to receive Holy Communion. Hanging from it, on the altar side, is the COMMUNION CLOTH of white linen, which people hold under the chin when they make their Communion. Beyond the choir is the SANCTUARY. Often there is no mark in the building- to show the line of separation between the choir and sanctuary. It is indeed better that there should not be a step here, since the ministers have to walk frequently from the choir to the sanctuary. Constantly to step up and down takes from the dignity of the ceremonies, and the step may be inconvenient to ministers in vestments. The sanctuary is merely the end (normally the East end) of the choir near the High Altar. It is counted as beginning about where the seats or stalls of the choir end on that side. The chief object in the sanctuary is the ALTAR 4 in the I In the rite of baptism the first part takes place in the Narthex (" ad limen ecclesiae" in the English Ordo administrandi, rubric 52, p. 13). Then, after the child has entered the church, an exorcism is said" ante­ quam accedat ad baptisterium" (ib., p. 22, No. 12). 2 The old liturgical books constantly suppose Mass said in the bap­ tistery (for instance, the Gelasian Sacramentary, ed. H. A. Wilson, pp. 142-143). The great baptisteries in Italy all have altars. 3 The Roman Ritual (and our Ordo administr.) sometimes calls the font" baptisterium" (rubric 30). • Full information about the altar and its arrangement will be found in Van der Stappen, iii, pp. 17-II4' Cod., C. II97-1202. Ube<Iburcb anb its jfurniture 3 middle. Unless the church has separate chapels, each with its own choir and sanctuary, this will be the High Altar of the church. All others are counted as side altars. There are two kinds of altar, the fixed (altare fixum) and portable altar (altare portatile). A FIXED ALTAR must be of stone and built into the church, so that it cannot be moved. The relics are buried in it. The whole top (the" mensa") of the altar is of stone and joined by stone to the ground; it is all consecrated as one thing. In the case of the PORTABLE ALTAR the only real altar is the ALT AR STONE. This is a stone in which relics are placed and sealed up. It is comparatively small, perhaps about one foot square or so, and an inch or two thick. Mass is said 1 on this. The altar stone may be placed on a table of any material. It is not fixed to the table. So in many churches there is what looks like a large wooden altar. Really this is only the framework or stand. In the middle (generally sunk into the wood) is the altar stone, which alone is consecrated. The framework may also be of stone. In this wayan altar may be built of stone, used as a portable one, having on it the consecrated altar stone, till the whole can be conse­ crated as a fixed altar. There is no difference in the ceremonies between a fixed and a portable altar. 2 There should be some kind of canopy over the altar. This may hang from the roof of the church or may stand on columns. It should cover not only the altar, but also the foot-pace, or at least the priest celebrating. The canopy stand­ ing on columns is the C I B 0 R I U M." It is better that the altar do not stand immediately against the wall of the church; indeed, at the consecration of an altar the rubrics require that the bishop go round it. The altar is raised above the floor of the sanctuary by steps. Every altar should be raised at least one step; the 1 During Mass the chalice and hread stand on the altar stone. o The older principle was that, as no church may be consecrated unless a fixed altar he consecrated with it, so, on the other hand, an altar may not be consecrated except in a consecrated church. Thus consecrated church and consecrated altar always went together. But the S. C. R. 3059, ad XV (12 September 1857) allows an altar to be consecrated in a merely blessed church. This must mean a church which, although only blessed now, will be consecrated later for certain. Otherwise the altar would have to be desecrated inevitably when the church were adapted to another purpose. A consecrated (= fixed) altar cannot be moved. 3 Not to be confused with" ciborium" in another sense, namely the little vessel that contains the consecrated Hosts in the tabernacle. The canopy over the altar, whethe'r on columns or hanging, is "baldaquin .. in French, .. baldacchino" in Italian. There seems no reason for using these foreign words in English. The Caerimoniale Episcoporum, Lib. I, cap. xiv, § I requires a canopy over the High Altar. The S. Congregation of Rites (= S. C. R.) has frequently insisted on it for the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved (27 April 1697, No.
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